“As we strengthen our surveillance and vigilance, our military maintains its constant readiness in close cooperation with the United States,” the South Korean general staff said, according to Yonhap.
The missiles were fired toward the East Sea, also known as the Sea of Japan. According to the Kyodo news agency, the office of the Japanese prime minister confirmed the launch of at least one North Korean missile. Accordingly, she fell into the sea outside the exclusive economic zone of Japan. The Japanese Coast Guard has not yet received any reports of damage to Japanese ships, the national broadcaster NHK reported.
On Tuesday, Pyongyang fired a medium-range missile over Japan for the first time in five years. The government in Tokyo had called on its citizens in two northern regions to seek shelter in buildings or basements. The test sparked international outrage.
On Thursday, North Korea fired two short-range ballistic missiles while Seoul, Tokyo and Washington held joint drills in response to the intermediate-range missile test. For this purpose, the USA again sent the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier “USS Ronald Reagan” to the region. Joint military exercises by the US and South Korea ended on Saturday, according to Yonhap.
The Foreign Ministry in Pyongyang on Thursday condemned the transfer of the aircraft carrier as a “serious threat to the stability of the situation on the Korean peninsula”. North Korea has described its recent series of missile tests as a legitimate response to US military threats.
At the urging of the United States, the UN Security Council considered North Korea’s missile tests in midweek. Pyongyang’s ally China accused Washington of provoking the North Korean missile tests. The West has been pushing for stronger sanctions against communist-ruled North Korea for months. However, Russia and China prevent this.
In September, North Korea’s ruler Kim Jong Un classified his country’s status as a nuclear power as “irreversible”, thereby ruling out the possibility of talks on denuclearization.
